Air cleaner

ABSTRACT

An air cleaner utilizing a series of elongate, inverted U-shaped air foils is disclosed herein. An oil retaining tray is disposed adjacent the air inlet of an enclosure which also has an air outlet. The air foils are disposed in the air inlet above the tray with the legs of the air foils extending downwardly to proximate the top of the tray. A fan is utilized to force air through the air inlet, over the legs of the air foils and then up through the inside of the air foils. Air and particles of dirt entrained in the air are accelerated along the legs of the air foils. The dirt particles attain sufficient inertia to plunge into the oil in the tray where those particles are retained while the clean air passes into the inside of the air foils.

United States Patent Pierick 51 June 13, 1972 AIR CLEANER [22] Filed:March 6, 1970 [2l] Appl.No.: 17,096

[52] US. Cl ..55/239, 55/246, 55/256,

55/342, 55/436, 55/472, 55/484 [5 l] Int. Cl ..B01d 47/02 [58] Field ofSearch ..55/220, 239-241 55/244, 246, 250, 233-234, 253, 436, 482-484,255-256, 249, 247; 261/119 A, 119 R, 23 R [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,943,297 1/1934 Cook.... ..261/119X FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 673,320 3/1939 Germany ..261/119 901,715 7/1962 GreatBritain ..55/244 471,295 9/1937 Great Britain ..261/119 PrimaryExaminer-Dennis E. Talbert, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Vincent GiffordAttorney-Henderson & Strom ABSTRACT An air cleaner utilizing a series ofelongate, inverted U-shaped air foils is disclosed herein. An oilretaining tray is disposed adjacent the air inlet of an enclosure whichalso has an air outlet. The air foils are disposed in the air inletabove the tray with the legs of the air foils extending downwardly toproximate the top of the tray. A fan is utilized to force air throughthe air inlet, over the legs of the air foils and then up through theinside of the air foils. Air and particles of dirt entrained in the airare accelerated along the legs of the air foils. The dirt particlesattain sufficient inertia to plunge into the oil in the tray where thoseparticles are retained while the clean air passes into the inside of theair foils.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEnJuu 1 3 m2 INVENTOR. P/m/AED z.HEB/CA AIR CLEANER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toan air cleaner of novel construction which utilizes a series ofelongate, inverted Ushaped air foils and an oil bath in cleaning air.

Several types of air cleaning devices are now being utilized. Ordinaryfurnace filters are inexpensive and remove the larger particlesentrained in the air. The particles, however, clog the filter and causea relatively large pressure drop across the filter. Electrostaticfilters are much more efficient and, correspondingly, much moreexpensive. A real need exists for a filter which does not clog, which isefficient, and inexpensive. Additionally, the pressure drop across thefilter should be small especially if the filter is utilized in a heatingor air conditioning system or the like.

Attempts have been made to create this type of filter which aredocumented in Clawson, US Pat. No. 716,380; Rowen, US. Pat. No. 283,025;Brunck, US. Pat. No. 825,297; and Fett, U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,004.However, none of these devices meet all of the requirements set outabove.

The air cleaner of this invention is designed to minimize the pressuredrop across the air cleaner. It will not clog and it is inexpensive andefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an air cleanercomprising an enclosure having an air inlet and an air outlet and meansfor forcing air through the enclosure. Means adapted to retain liquidsis disposed adjacent the air inlet. A series of elongate, inverted-U-shaped air foils are aligned above the liquid retaining means anddisposed in the air inlet. The air foils have a closed inlet end and anopen discharge end with the legs of the air foils extending downwardlyto proximate the top of the liquid retaining means. The legs of the airfoils are substantially aligned with the general direction of air flowthrough the air inlet. A lateral member is affixed to the discharge endsof the air foils to substantially seal the air inlet except for the opendischarge ends of the air foils.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an efficient,inexpensive air cleaner or filter.

Another object is to provide an air cleaner across which there is arelatively low pressure drop.

Yet another object is to provide an air cleaner which will not clog yetwill remove particles as small as pollen from the air.

Still another object is to provide a series of air foils disposedsubstantially parallelly of the direction of air flow through the airinlet of the enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theair cleaner of this invention having a portion of the enclosure cutaway.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and exploded view of a series of air foils and theliquid retaining means.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the air cleaner takenalong line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of three air foils disposed over theliquid retaining means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings,the air cleaner of this invention is indicated generally at 11 in FIGS.1 and 3. The air cleaner 11 comprises an enclosure 12 having an airinlet 13 and an air outlet 14 and means 16 for forcing air through theenclosure 12. Liquid retaining means 17 are disposed adjacent the airinlet 13 and series of air foils 18 are disposed above each of theliquid retaining means 17. A lateral member 19 is affixed to each seriesof air foils l8 proximate the discharge ends 21 thereof andsubstantially seals the air inlet 13 except for the open discharge ends21 of the air foils 18.

More specifically, an enclosure 12 is utilized in this air cleaner 11having an air inlet 13 and an air outlet 14. The configuration and sizeof the enclosure 12 is not critical. The enclosure 12 can be, forexample, a conduit or duct (not shown) in a furnace system or in anautomobile.

In the embodiment shown (FIGS. 1 and 3), the enclosure 12 is of box-likeconfiguration with one end 22 open (the air inlet 13) and an aperture 23formed in one side 24 (the air outlet 14). Arms 26 extend into the openend 22 from the sides 24 and 27 for supporting the liquid retainingmeans 17. An inner partition 28 can be formed in the enclosure 12 todirect the air flow into a centrifugal fan 29 or the like which isutilized as the means 16 for forcing air through the enclosure 12. Theaperture 23 is located on the side of the partition 28 opposite the openend 22.

The means 16 for forcing air through the enclosure 12 can be disposed inthe enclosure 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 or external means (not shown)can be utilized. For example if the air cleaner 1] is installed in aheating or a cooling system, the furnace blower can be utilized as themeans 16 for forcing air through the enclosure 12. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a fan 29 having a motor 31 is utilized as themeans 16 for forcing air through the enclosure 12.

At least one means 17 adapted to retain liquids therein is disposedadjacent the air inlet 13. More specifically, the liquid retaining means17 is generally a tray 32 or trays 32 which can be supported by thebottom 33 of the enclosure 12 or by the arms 26 extending into the airinlet 13. The trays 32 (FIGS. 2 and 3) are generally quite shallow andextend from one side 24 of the enclosure 12 to the other side 27.Partitions 34 are formed laterally ad longitudinally in the trays 32 andextend upwardly to approximately the desired liquid level. Thesepartitions 34 minimize spillage of the liquid 36 contained therein whenremoving the trays 32 or when moving the air cleaner 1 l.

Preferably, the trays 32 are removable from the enclosure 12. Byutilizing removable trays 32, the air inlet 13 can be of any size orconfiguration. Air inlet area can be maximized and pressure drop throughthis air cleaner 11 can be minimized. Additionally, the trays 32 can bereadily cleaned and the liquid 36 contained therein can be replenished.

Any non-evaporating liquid can be utilized in this air cleaner 11 as theliquid 36. Oil is preferred as it is readily available, inexpensive, andnon-evaporating. When dirt or other foreign particles contact the oilsurface 37, they cannot then leave that surface 37.

At least one series of air foils 18 is disposed in the air inlet 13 andaligned above the liquid retaining means 17. Each of the air foils 18has an elongate, inverted U-shaped configuration and a closed inlet end38 and an open discharge end 21. The legs 39 of the air foils extenddownwardly to proximate the top 40 of the liquid retaining means 17 andare substantially aligned with the direction of air flow through the airinlet As more specifically shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the air foils18 is of inverted U-shaped configuration and slants upwardly from theinlet end 38 to the discharge end 21. The inlet end 38 is closed and thedischarge end 21 is open. The air flow is indicated by the streamlines41 in FIGS. 3 and 4. As in dicated therein, the air flow through thisair cleaner 1 1 is laminar thereby minimizing the pressure drop throughthis device 1 1. Air flows through the air inlet 13, over the top 42 ofthe air foils 18 and down along the legs 39 of the air foils 18. The airpasses under the legs 39 and over the surface 37 of the liquid 36 andthen into the inside of the air foil 18 and out of the discharge end 21.

In a preferred embodiment, the legs 39 extend downwardly into the liquidretaining means 17 or trays 32 and outwardly (FIG. 4). By extending thelegs 39 outwardly, the velocity of the air can be increased as it flowsdown the legs 39. As the air velocity is increased, the inertia offoreign particles in the air flow is increased with concomitantly bettercleaning of the air. Because of this outward extension of the legs 39,particles as small as pollen can be removed from the air passing throughthis air cleaner 1 1.

The liquid level can also be adjusted. If the liquid level is raised,the air will be cleaned more thoroughly and a larger pressure drop willbecome apparent. When the liquid level is dropped, the pressure dropwill be smaller but cleaning may suffer. As can be seen from FIG. 4, airpassing under the legs 39 is wiped against the liquid 36 therebyattaining additional cleaning. Air flow under the legs 39 causes somecupping of the surface 37 of the liquid 36 as shown in FIG. 4.

The air foils 18 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are substantially parallelly alignedwith each other and the legs 39 of the air foils 18 are substantiallyparallelly aligned with the general direction of air flow through theair inlet 13. This specific design maintains laminar flow and reducespressure drop over the air foils 18. The air foils 18 can also bearranged in a circular configuration. In this configuration, the legs 39of the air foils are substantially aligned with the general direction ofair flow through the air inlet 13.

Another significant advantage of this air cleaner 11 is that thepressure drop across the air foils 18 is always constant regardless ofwhether the liquid 36 is clean or dirty. This is in marked contrast toinexpensive air cleaners such as the ordinary furnace filters.

The air foils 18 are preferably arranged in a series over each of thetrays 32. The air foils 18 are secured together in a series by a lateralmember 19. Each of the series is preferably demountably disposed on oneof the trays 32 and extends from one side 24 of the enclosure 12 to theother side 27. The series of air foils 18 are preferably removable fromthe enclosure 12 and the trays 32 to facilitate cleaning thereof.

At least one lateral member 19 (FIGS. 1-4) is affixed to each of theseries of air foils l8 proximate the discharge ends 21 of the air foils18. This member 19 can be formed of any suitable material and extendsfrom one side 24 of the enclosure 12 to the other side 27. Lateralmember 19 substantially seals the air inlet 13 of the enclosure 12except for the open discharge ends 21 of the air foils 18 therebyforcing the air to pass downwardly along the legs 39 and then under thelegs 39 and into the inside of the air foils 18.

A second lateral member 43 (FIGS. l-3) can be affixed proximate theinlet ends 38 of the air foils 18. This second member 43 extends fromone side 24 of the enclosure 12 to the other side 27 and extendsupwardly to the tops 42 of the air foils 18 at the inlet ends 38. Theinlet ends 38 of the air foils 18 are effectively sealed by this secondmember 43 and laminar flow is insured through the air cleaner 11.

The air cleaner 11 of this invention as shown in FIGS. 1-4 can beoperated by, first, removing the trays 32 and filling them with oil orother suitable liquid. A series of air foils 18 are engaged with eachtray 32 and the trays 32 and air foils 18 are replaced in the aircleaner 11. The fan 29 is turned on which forces air through the airinlet 13 and over the air foils 18. Dirt and other foreign particles aredeposited and retained in the oil.

The air cleaner 11 of this invention can be adjusted to efficientlyremove room dust, pollen, and other common foreign particles. Pressuredrop can be controlled by regulating the depth of the oil in the trays32.

Although a preferred embodiment has been described herein, it isunderstood that various modifications of this invention fall within theappended claims.

I claim:

1. An air cleaner comprising:

an enclosure having an air inlet and an air outlet formed therein;

means for forcing air into said enclosure through said air inlet and outof said enclosure through said air outlet;

a plurality of liquid retaining means each comprising a removable traydisposed adjacent said air inlet;

a plurality of series of air foils disposed in said air inlet eachseries of air foils aligned above and demountably disposed in one ofsaid liquid retaining means, each of said air foils having an upperportion slanting upwardly from said inlet end to said discharge end andan elongate, inverted U- shaped configuration, and having a closed inletend and an open discharge end and legs extending downwardly to proximatethe top of said respective liquid retaining means, said legs beingsubstantially aligned with the general direction of air flow throughsaid air inlet; and

a lateral member afiixed to each of said air foils proximate thedischarge ends, said member sealing the air inlet of said enclosureexcept for said open discharge ends of said air foils.

2. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein said legs extend downwardly intosaid means for retaining liquids and are substantially parallellyaligned with the general direction of air flow through said air inlet.

3. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein said legs extend downwardly andoutwardly.

4. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein each of said trays has partitionsformed therein extending upwardly to proximate the desired liquid levelthereby minimizing spills of the liquid.

5. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein said means for forcing air throughsaid enclosure is a fan.

6. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein a second lateral member is affixedto each series of said air foils proximate the inlet ends and extendingupwardly to proximate the top of said air foils.

1. An air cleaner comprising: an enclosure having an air inlet and anair outlet formed therein; means for forcing air into said enclosurethrough said air inlet and out of said enclosure through said airoutlet; a plurality of liquid retaining means each comprising aremovable tray disposed adjacent said air inlet; a plurality of seriesof air foils disposed in said air inlet each series of air foils alignedabove and demountably disposed in one of said liquid retaining means,each of said air foils having an upper portion slanting upwardly fromsaid inlet end to said discharge end and an elongate, inverted U-shapedconfiguration, and having a closed inlet end and an open discharge endand legs extending downwardly to proximate the top of said respectiveliquid retaining means, said legs being substantially aligned with thegeneral direction of air flow through said air inlet; and a lateralmember affixed to each of said air foils proximate the discharge ends,said member sealing the air inlet of said enclosure except for said opendischarge ends of said air foils.
 2. The air cleaner of claim 1 whereinsaid legs extend downwardly into said means for retaining liquids andare substantially parallelly aligned with the general direction of airflow through said air inlet.
 3. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein saidlegs extend downwardly and outwardly.
 4. The air cleaner of claim 1wherein each of said trays has partitions formed therein extendingupwardly to proximate the desired liquid level thereby minimizing spillsof the liquid.
 5. The air cleaner of claim 1 wherein said means forforcing air through said enclosure is a fan.
 6. The air cleaner of claim1 wherein a second lateral member is affixed to each series of said airfoils proximate the inlet ends and extending upwardly to proximate thetop of said air foils.